The college football season opens this weekend and while there is only one real blockbuster game, there are several solid matchups happening this week. In looking at the best conference in the nation - the SEC - I notice that they all really scheduled up by playing this difficult lineup: Southern Mississippi, Miami (Ohio), Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacksonville State, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech, San Jose State, Memphis, and Arkansas State. At least LSU is playing a good game against North Carolina. Otherwise, for a league that is always flapping their gums about being dominant, it'll be a while before we get to see it this season. Enough about that. Here are some games I'm excited about this weekend.

Pittsburgh at Utah. Utah’s defensive line is going to be very solid this year, but can they stop Dion Lewis? Pitt is breaking in three new interior linemen, but Lewis could probably get positive yards with me and a couple of friends blocking for him. I keep hearing that the Utes have some ridiculous blitz packages prepared for this game, so they may have the Pitt offensive line looking silly. The last time these teams played the Utes beat the piss out of the Panthers in the Fiesta Bowl. Pitt brings a pretty lofty ranking into this game, and Wannstedt’s teams never seem to reach expectations (last year being an exception). Can they beat Kyle Whittingham and the Utes, considering that Whittingham is 7-2 against teams from BCS leagues in the past three years? Don’t be surprised to see Utah win at home. They always get up for big games.

Oregon State vs TCU. This game could have BCS implications. Oregon State has the chance to really put down the non-AQ teams this year because they get TCU this week and Boise State later in the season. The last time Oregon State played a non-AQ team they lost to BYU 44-20; this is the same BYU team that lost at home to TCU 38-7. Not that comparing scores will get you anywhere, but that’s quite the difference. TCU will look to exploit their speed advantage. How often can you say that the non-AQ team is much faster than the BCS squad? Not too often, but the speed difference in this game will be very evident. Oregon State better hope that Quizz Rodgers can control the clock on the ground, or else they’ll be in for a long game.

LSU vs North Carolina. Everyone is on North Carolina’s jockstrap this year. I can hardly find anything on ESPN about college football without someone having an orgasm over the Tar Heels defense. Will they live up to the hype? Obviously the talent is there. Can they score enough points? The offense was pretty futile last season, so they better step it up if they expect to have a better showing this season. LSU has been a bit down the past two years, but they are still extremely talented and definitely have the horses to win this game. And for what it’s worth, as good as the Carolina defense is, they don’t have the best defensive player in this game. That would be Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU.

Washington at BYU. Can Jake Locker redeem himself? After his controversial unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (see the pic of him tossing the ball) that led to a BYU blocked extra point to seal the victory two years ago, will Locker come out on fire and light up the Cougars? Will Jake Heaps, a Washington native who was the #1 QB in high school last year, play well with the pressure of going against his hometown team? BYU is traditionally very tough at home, but both of their losses last year came in blowouts at home. Washington has sucked on the road the past few years, having lost 11 straight. BYU lost a ton of starters, but has a lot of young talent. Washington’s offense returns almost in tact, but the defense is a major question. All of the unknowns make this a very intriguing game.

UConn at Michigan. This game interests me bigtime. UConn is severely underrated nationally. Their linebacking corps is one of the best in the nation and they sport an underappreciated offense. Michigan is looking to break out under Rich Rodriguez. His teams have always improved very quickly - and it looked to be the same after a 4-0 start last year - but so far things haven’t gone his way in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines boast a fair amount of talent, but can they put it together and get a win against the Huskies? The Wolverines have lost to Purdue, Utah, Toledo, Illinois, Northwestern, and Appalachian State in the past few years. All at home. Maybe UConn will add their name to that list.

Boise State vs Virginia Tech. This is clearly the game of the weekend. For the first time in years, the questions about Va Tech are on defense. The offense should be extremely explosive, so if the defense is as tough as it usually is, the Hokies could be a national title contender. Boise State carries the BCS title game hopes of the underdog on its shoulders. Can they win their biggest game of the year? Over the years I have continually doubted Boise State, only to see them come up big. Last year I picked Oregon to beat them in week 1. Wrong. I picked TCU to beat them in the Fiesta Bowl. Wrong. I thought they’d lose to Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Oregon State in the past few years. Wrong on all counts. I’m not betting against them this time. Now they’re going to lose for sure...

No introduction necessary. Here are the top 10 WRs in college football for 2010:

10. Titus Young, Boise State
79 rec, 1041 yards, 13.2 ypc, 10 TD
I could put either Young or his teammate Austin Pettis in this slot. I went with Young because he is the more dynamic player and he fits the Boise offense well (Pettis is definitely the better pro prospect). Young runs great routes and catches everything thrown his way. His numbers would be even more impressive if he wasn’t sharing the spotlight with Pettis, but he still put up huge numbers last season. Expect more of the same this year. 

9. DeVier Posey, The Ohio State
60 rec, 828 yards, 13.8 ypc, 8 TD
Posey put up good numbers last year with a quarterback (Terrelle Pryor) who struggled to deliver the ball. Posey is extremely strong and often outfights corners for jump balls. If Pryor comes on this year the way so many expect, Posey should have a huge year as Ohio State contends for a national title.

8. Armon Binns, Cincinnati
61 rec, 888 yards, 14.6 ypc, 11 TD
Binns was prolific in Brian Kelly’s offense last year as the second option. What will he do as the first option? His numbers may be insane this year, depending on how Cincinnati does under new head coach Butch Jones, who typically operates a run-first offense. Binns will have some pressure taken off of him by Vidal Hazelton, a USC transfer who will line up as the other starting wideout.

7. James Rodgers, Oregon State
91 rec, 1034 yards, 11.4 ypc, 9 TD
James doesn’t get quite the recognition that his brother Quizz gets, but James is pretty amazing in his own right. The fact that a guy who comes in at 5-7, 188 is even on this list is impressive. Rodgers has great hands, runs great routes, is a good blocker for a WR, and he gets a lot of yards after the catch. He’s also a dangerous return man for the Beavers. What keeps Rodgers down is that he isn’t consistent: he had four games of over 100 yards, but had four games of under 50 yards.

6. Vincent Brown, San Diego State
45 rec, 778 yards, 17.3 ypc, 6 TD
Surprised to see someone from San Diego State this high? Don’t be: Vincent Brown is insane. If he played for a better team everyone would know who he is. Check out his stats. He put those numbers up in six games last year. Six freaking games! His QB, Ryan Lindley, is improving like crazy, so Brown will likely put up gigantic numbers this year. Brown put up 84 yards in one game last year, but had over 120 yards in every other game. He’s ridiculous, and you’d be wise to check him out this season (assuming you get The Mtn, the sorriest sports channel around). He’d be ranked higher on this list in most years, but WR is loaded this season, so here he settles for the 6 spot. 

5. Julio Jones, Alabama
43 rec, 596 yards, 13.9 ypc, 4 TD
Jones came to Alabama with ridiculous hype. He has prototypical size (6-4, 211) and speed (reportedly runs a 4.4 40), but he just hasn’t put up the numbers you would expect for someone with his skills. Some of that can be attributed to the Alabama offense, with its plethora of stud running backs, but Jones should still put up bigger numbers than he has. He also seems to be somewhat injury prone, in that he seems to always have nagging injuries and has to take plays off. Jones could have a monster season this season though if he stays healthy. Jones is almost a lock as a first-round NFL pick.

4. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
57 rec, 1111 yards, 19.5 ypc, 8 TD
Another WR who was hyped like crazy coming out of high school, Baldwin began to really show his skills last season. What might be most impressive about his stats from last season is that he did that for a Pittsburgh team that mostly focuses on the run and had an average QB. Baldwin is huge (6-5, 230) and will go up and catch just about anything thrown his way. He could put up monstrous numbers this season if the Pittsburgh QB (presumably Sunseri) can deliver the ball anywhere near Baldwin. He may be the best deep threat in the nation, as evidenced by his absurd yards per catch.

3. Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
89 rec, 1120 yards, 12.6 ypc, 15 TD
Broyles is like James Rodgers in that he is undersized, but he just makes plays. Broyles is as shifty as any wide receiver in the nation, has great hands, and is not afraid to go across the middle and take a hit. His speed and athleticism allow him to dominate opponents. Broyles put up impressive numbers while dealing with a shoulder injury and breaking in a new QB because of the injury to Sam Bradford. I don’t know that Broyles will do much in the NFL, but he’s a great college WR.

1. A.J. Green, Georgia
53 rec, 808 yards, 15.2 ypc, 6 TD
Green is flat-out the best receiver in college football. His hands are unbelievable. He is fast and runs great routes. In short, he does everything well. He is absolutely unstoppable in the red zone and will likely be the top WR taken in the NFL draft. The downside to Green is that he has had some nagging injuries in the past, and this season he’ll be catching passes from a QB that has never taken a snap in a college football game. Still, Green is the best at his position in college football, good QB or not.

I have a wee friend named Derek.  Today, August 23rd, is the 31st anniversary of his birth.  Derek was born 8 days before me, and so has always had a distinct advantage over me in life.  I love him anyway.  Derek now lives in the small city of Japan and so his birthday is probably over for him by now, but since I live in America, I'm celebrating it today.  (Indeed, upon checking my world clock it is 3:15, August 24th in Japan.  Sue me.) I'm doing so by sharing some of my fondest sports memories of Derek with all of you.

Derek is a wee man, maybe 5'6.  He is sturdy and solidly built.  His lack of height and inherent lack of athleticism have made him mostly bad at sports, but that hasn't stopped him from trying.

Memory 1:  The first sports memory I have of  Derek occurred in the back yard of a girl named Ashley Something-Or-Other.  I didn't really know Ashley that well, but we were at a party at her house in the summer between sophomore and junior years of high school.  I had only recently met Derek and while we were becoming fast friends, I don't recall even being at the party with him, per se.  Well, there was a legendary game of dunkball forming with a lot of teen testosterone combining for an epic winner-stays-on tournament.  I remember being teamed with transcendent dunk-ball talent Drew Nelson and ruling the court for the majority of the evening.  Now, I was no Drew Nelson mind you, but I was tall enough that on an 8 and a half foot rim I was somewhat of a force to be reckoned with.  Well, in one of the games, Derek brought his short ass to the court to compete.  Despite his lack of size, Derek always competed. I'll give him that.  Well, one thing led to another and sure enough, Derek found himself open at the rim and his short man's complex couldn't allow him to just lay the ball in. Nope, he had to go for the dunk, with catastrophic results.  He got rim-checked about as hard as you'd expect a 5'6 man would on a rim of that height, and fell on his wrist, breaking it.    He handled it pretty well and as I recall it finished out the game, but he would be in a cast for the next 4 or so weeks.  He would love to come up and stick that stinky cast by your nose.  Eventually he got to the point where he could pull it off and put it back on, which I don't think is how a cast is supposed to work, but that's just life with Derek.  By the way, that is a photograph of, from left to right, Me, Jose (A shuttle driver from the hotel to Disneyland), Brian Poulson, and Derek.  This is  classic photo evidence of my fake G period.

Memory 2:  Derek and I attended a little pile of crap school in central Utah called Snow College for a year.  During that year, we participated in various Intramural sports.  The finest of these experiences was had while playing for our basketball team, Ed Johnson's Debacle.  The Debacle was not a very good team at all, frankly.  We usually lost, sometimes by mind-boggling scores.  The team was not talented as it consisted of me (not good), Derek (bad), our friend Phil (decent), a guy named Shane (decent) who smelled like bedussy, James Keating (bad), a man who once claimed, probably incorrectly, that Cat Stevens never wrote a bad song, and Hassan Grant (bad), who threatened to kill someone on the other team on more than one occasion.  We won a few games here and there, but one thing that never really wavered was our Technical Foul output.  We got at least one in every single game.  There was the guaranteed one that we would get when James would hit his one shot per game and then run down the court flipping off the man who had guarded him on the shot.  Oh, and the flip off would usually be 6-10 inches in front of the opponent's face all the way down the court.  After that, you never really knew.  The games were held in a gym where there were like 10 courts running in different directions and so sometimes, the lines could get confusing.  Well, on one occasion Derek got a rebound (no small feat), and started taking the ball up the court.  Out of nowhere he hears the whistle and turns around.  The referee then informed him he was out of bounds.  Derek did not take this lightly, throwing the ball up in the air and screaming "What the F...?"  I actually laid on the floor laughing my butt off, despite the fact we were losing by 30 points.  Another time he tried to get into a fight with another short man.  You would have taken him, Derek, despite what Phil says.

Memory 3:  My final memory is more of a series of happenings rather than a single situation.  I had a ping pong table (more of a sport than golf, by the way) that I had gotten for Christmas and Derek would come over and play with me after school on a nearly daily basis.  At first, it wasn't even close as I would destroy Derek regularly.  Slowly but surely, he continued to improve and I did not.  Eventually, it got to the point where although I would not admit it, Derek was better than I was.  This confused me greatly as I never thought that Derek could be better than me at anything athletic.  We then decided to start a club at school.  We found out the process of forming a club by the school bylaws and did so.  The Granger High School Table Tennis Association was formed in the fall of 1996 with a club motto, cunstitution, and song.  The first few weeks were great as we battled it out in the red gym every week.  But little by little, the Asian population got wind of the club and it got to the point where Derek and I were probably the two worst players in the club and the only 2 Americans left, so we quit.  We just pulled the ripcord and bailed out on it.  The teacher who had agreed to supervise the club, Mr. Bullock, was none too pleased.  I'm pretty sure he only agreed to supervise the club since I was the captain on his real Tennis team, and then when we left him with guys he didn't know, several of whom did not speak English, he let us know of his disapproval.  As time has gone by, I've played ping pong maybe 5-6 times in 10 years, but Derek, who as mentioned lives in Japan, has gotten even better than before.  I would hardly dare play him at this point.

Derek may not be the greatest sportsman, but he is one of the best people on planet Earth, without a doubt.  Happy belated Birthday, D.

I'm just ready for college football to start. I'm sick of all the realignment talk - let's just get it over with so we can play some ball. Earlier I gave my take on five teams that are getting too much hype in the preseason polls and previews. I'm not saying any one of these teams will win the national championship, but here are five teams that I believe are flying a bit under the radar heading into 2010:

Arizona. The Wildcats return ten starters on an offense that put up 30 points a game last year. QB Nick Foles is getting more comfortable in the system and will put up huge numbers this year, and with so many weapons returning we can expect the offense to be even more prolific. Arizona ended last season on a terrible note in getting shredded by Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl 33-0, and that seems to be all that people remember from last season. They also beat USC, Stanford, and Oregon State, and took Oregon to double overtime (a game that Arizona should have won in regluation). The offense will be fine; if the front seven on defense shows improvement this year, Arizona could contend for a Rose Bowl birth. Key Game: vs. Iowa, Sept 18.

Texas A&M. Here is another team that is dominant offensively, scoring around 33ppg last season. Of course, they gave up 33.5ppg also. The Aggies have made several changes to their defensive scheme that should lead to a defense that is at least a little less sucky. Von Miller is one of the five best defensive players in the nation and A&M has changed schemes to fit their personnel better, so you can expect Miller to wreak havoc and the defense to be better. After finishing with a losing record last season - including multiple losses to inferior teams - Texas A&M should find their way into the top 30-40 teams in the country. The schedule is never easy in the Big 12, but at least they get Oklahoma and Nebraska at home. Key Game: vs Arkansas, Oct 9.

Georgia. Last season the Bulldogs weren't what we've come to expect from a Mark Richt coached team. The defense was awful by Georgia standards and they lost to Kentucky and a bad Tennessee team. Georgia's offense will be solid this year and could be special if Aaron Murray is the answer at QB. The Bulldogs have one of the 3 or 4 best offensive lines in the nation to lead a solid running game. AJ Green is hands down the best receiver in the nation (no, Julio Jones isn't on the same level). I expect Georgia's defense to rebound from a down year and play well enough for the offense to wear teams down and get back to double-digit victories. Keep in mind that Richt has never had two straight seasons of less than 10 wins. Plus the Dawgs don't have Alabama or LSU on the schedule. Key Game: vs. Arkansas, Sept 18.

Purdue. I'll be shocked if the Boilermakers aren't better than what is being predicted for them. I've seen them in the 60s in several preseason rankings. Purdue will have a new quarterback this year in Miami transfer Robert Marve. While Marve isn't amazing, he's very mobile and has the potential to be a top tier QB. He has some good weapons around him, particularly Keith Smith at WR, and the defense will be solid. Thier LBs are good and DE Ryan Kerrigan is a beast who should get far more national recognition than he does. Purdue is lucky enough to avoid Iowa on the Big 10 schedule this year and they get Wisconsin at home. Key Game: vs Wisconsin, Nov 6.

Notre Dame. Mark it down: Notre Dame will be a top 25 team this year. The Brian Kelly era is about to begin and the Irish won't take too long to get back to national prominence. Kelly will get the benefit of some tremendous recruiting classes at ND over the past few years. The Irish have among the best nationally at their position in Mike Floyd and Kyle Rudolph, and they will be unleashed in Kelly's fast-paced offense. Kelly is a bit of a miracle worker and there is no reason to assume he won't continue that at Notre Dame. The defense should be improved, but Kelly has never won with defense - he wins by hanging 40 on everyone. As always, they have a difficult schedule, but there isn't a game on the schedule that isn't winnable. Watch out for two guys who will become household names by the end of the year: QB Dayne Crist and LB Manti Te'o, both of whom will have monstrous seasons. Key Game: vs. Pittsburgh, Oct 9.

I was looking through ESPN.com's listing of NBA players today because I was wondering how many guys are listed under 6 feet tall.  See,  NBA players understand the inherent life rule that says that height equals manliness,  And because of this basic law of nature you don't even know what you have to do to be listed as below 6 feet by the league.  I was only able to find a select few guys and those who do list themselves under 6 feet are all basically midgets who just can't fudge 6 feet even if they stand atop a phone book.  So instead of using ESPN.com as my reference, I went to the pre-draft measurements that are found at draftexpress.com.  They do the measurements every year and post them on their page.  Year after year of data can be checked relatively quickly, it's a pretty cool site.

So while there I checked out the player's realheights, without shoes.  Because let's face it little ones, your shoes are not part of your body. They are a mirage the little man uses to boost his little ego. Look, I'm sorry, Napoleon Jr., I really am.  So I'm just going to go ahead and take the reigns from Mother Nature and apologizing to you for your small stature.  I mean, I'm 6-2 and sometimes I lie awake and  wonder how I ever even made it at 6-1.  Luckily for me, my manliness was manifest during puberty when I proved I could grow a full beard and stand erect at a height worthy of a male of the species.  So again, sorry short stuffs.  I'm sure you make up for your vertical challenges with ultra-aggressive behavior like the Badger.   Don't worry though, no one can see through that facade, wink wink.

After reading through 20 years of draft history, I got to thinking about how damn incredible you have to be to play in the NBA under 6 feet.  I mean, not only did you battle the daily dilemmas that face the short, i.e. getting onto amusement park rides, jealousy of tall people, and having to stand behind 7-4 Mark Eaton at a Paul McCartney concert (let's be honest, that one would even suck for Shaquille O'neal), you also made it in a league that has not just tall people, but giant freaks of genetics.  So I wanted to honor the Lilliputian Heroes of the Hardwood today.  Without further ado, my list of the top 6 players under 6 feet in the NBA today.

6. Ty Lawson  5'11&1/4
Lawson burst into the NBA with a bang last year and was a very important contributor on a contending playoff team.  He was able to shoot the ball well from the field and from deep and provided instant offense off the bench for Denver last year.  I'd bet my bottom dollar that the T-Wolves would like to have the trade back and that they would send Jonny Flynn to the Nuggets if they knew then what they know now, but alas, David Kahn is their GM.  Lawson has been a winner since college and it looks like he will continue to do nicely for himself as a pro. 

5.  Nate Robinson  5'7&3/4
Somebody explain to me how a man this close to the ground can average 12 points for his NBA career.  Oh, I remember, because he is a freak of nature that can probably jump as high as anyone in the league when average by vertical jump.  At the pre-draft camp he jumped 43.5 inches vertically, which is just insane.  We all know about the Slam Dunk championships, including the last one he won by default in what had to be the worst slam dunk contest in the history of the event.  In fact I would wager there were better Dunk Contests staged in the back yards of white kids with adjustable hoops the very day of that failed event.   What many don't know is that Nate is also a very solid outside shooter, a decent defender, especially when height is taken into account, and can be one of the more streaky and explosive players in the league when given regular playing time. 

4.  Raymond Felton  5'11&1/2
Raymond is probably the worst athlete on this list, but he has made a career out of being a solid, if unspectacular point guard.  He is a solid defender who uses his short, sturdy body to keep offensive players out of the paint.  He is a pretty good play maker and generally unselfish, despite his bad teammates.  We'll so how his stats jump due to D'Inflation (nod to Bill Simmons' concept that Mike D'Antoni's system inflates players stats), but either way, he has had a nice little, no pun intended, career that may blossom in the Big Apple.

3. Jameer Nelson  5'11
To me Jameer radiates  Short Man Syndrome as well as anyone in the league.  He always seems like if you crossed him, he might be willing to pull out a shiv and stick it in your bladder.  I'm sure he's nice as hell, but boy does he look mean.  Nelson has proven his college critics wrong time and again, being an integral part of the Magic's recent run of success.  He's a little more 2 guard than pure point, but he's such an effective shooter and screen-roll player that he fits in really well into the Magic offense.  Also, his mid range jumper seems to me to be one of the best in the game. 

2.  Aaroon Brooks  5'10&1/2
Brooks is another guy who pro scouts had a lot of doubts about on drafty day, but he has also proven them wrong.  Brooks is an excellent outside shooter and overall scorer.  Like Jameer Nelson, his play making skills are somewhat lacking, but he more than makes up for it with his scoring punch.  He is also a pesky little gnat on defense, like any short man should be.  Additionally, he just has great hair and looks like a 10 year old with a goatee, which makes me like him and want to pet him.

1.  Chris Paul  5'11&3/4
You may have fooled the others Chris Paul, but you don't fool me.  You ain't 6 feet.  What you are though, is one of the best 10 players and, when healthy, bar none the best point guard in the league.  I'm not going to bore you with a bunch of stats to back that up, so I'm just going to tell you to watch the games.  Paul is simply amazing and is a joy to watch, unless he is showing you an explosion of Napoleon Complex by punching you in the crotch like he did to Julius Hodge whilst in college.  And yes, that is a picture of the crotch punching incident. 

So continue fighting the good fight little men of the world.  These are your heroes. 

PS.  I took that photo of Mark Eaton at the Paul McCartney concernt.  Pretty good, huh?

Every day you turn on the TV and you hear someone blathering on about instant replay, both in favor and against it.  So I decided to join the blathering.  Look, my take on instant replay is pretty simple:  Use it as much as you can to get the calls right.  Use it for anything that will help correct the wrong calls.  Use it, use it, use it. 

Why?  Because the technology is there, man.  All these old farts saying that human error in officiating is part of sports are wrong.  Human error was a part of sports officiating, but it doesn't continue to have to be from here on out.  A guy slides into 2nd base and gets called out when replay shows he was clearly safe.  A guy gets called safe at first when he was clearly out, ruining a perfect game.  The answer is simple. In sports like baseball and football: all plays are reviewed by a guy not employed by the team in a review booth.  If it is questionable, you go with the call on the field.  Otherwise, overturn it.  The booth official has 10-15 seconds to make the decision.  That's it.

The people most opposed to instant replay seem to be old people and baseball fans, which may be synonyms.  They say things like, "What, next you're going to have a computer call balls and strikes for you?  Where will it stop?

My answer to that:  Why not?  If a computer can do a better job than humans, why don't we let it?  I'd much rather have an accurate computer calling balls and strikes than a fat sweaty dude with all of his biases, personal problems, and his own defintion of what a balls and strikes are..  It all comes down to getting the technology where it should be and then using it.  Come on, we don't use Courier Pigeons anymore, do we?  We don't use typewriters.

Instant replay will make sports better.  Will it make games longer?  Maybe.  But wouldn't you rather be watching a game a little longer than out mowing your lawn?

So Madden 11 came out this week and everyone freaking loves Madden. I've been playing NCAA Football 11 for the past month or so, and having played both games, I can tell you that NCAA is better. But I'm not here to review the merits of either game; I'm here to tell you that only one of them makes my list of the top five sports video games of all-time. As a side note, I don't play stupid games invlovling soccer or hockey. Don't expect Jordan vs. Bird to make this list, either, even though it was amazing in its own way. Without further adieu, here is my personal top 5, including an adventure with a crackhead:

5. Double Dribble. This game was - and still is - amazing. With only four teams to choose from, my friends and I would play this game for hours while talking ish. I remember freaking out about the zoom in for the reverse dunk. It was tremendous. We would then go outside to throw down some serious funk on my friend's hoop using a trampoline, all while wishing we could throw down a sweet reverse while wearing nuthuggers.

4. NBA 2K Series. This series changed my opinion on basketball games. To me, NBA Live seemed barely better than Double Dribble. 2K revolutionized the basketball video game. The player models were amazing and the game didn't feel like you were playing street ball all the time. On NBA Live (up until the latest version) you could win every game if you had the right player on your team. 2K required teamwork and skill, and every play doesn't end in a NBA Jam-style dunk.

3. NCAA Football Series. I'm partial to this series because of my obsession with college football, but the game is truly awesome. If you haven't played NCAA 11, pick it up and give it a shot. The graphics are ridiculous, the new changes with player fluidity make it feel like you really control every move your player makes, and the dynasty mode is better with an updated recruiting system. The realism of the game is getting better every year. This game is great, except for the fact that when I simulated a season to see who they would predict to win the title, Arkansas beat West Virginia in the BCS title game. How realistic can it be with that title game?

2. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! From Piston Honda to Bald Bull, this game was amazing. I remember when a kid in my neighborhood finally beat Tyson on the game. It seemed so surreal. Of course, Tyson kicked the piss out of me every single time I faced him, but I kept coming back for more, only to get destroyed again and again. As much as I wanted to go all Chris Brown on Tyson, I could never quite get over the hump. But I wasted hours and hours of my life trying.

1. Tecmo Super Bowl. No contest. Tecmo Super Bowl is not only my favorite sports video game of all-time, it's my favorite game of all time, period. Any game with Don Majkowski on it must be top notch. Growing up, I had a neighbor who was a straight-up crack head. He once came over while I was playing hoops in the front yard and asked me if I had two dollars. I told him that I had $5 and I'd give it to him if he could beat me at Tecmo Super Bowl. Of course, he was all over that. I don't know how much crack five bones can buy, but he was acting like I had just offered him enough blow to last him until his late 30s. Anyhow, we get into his basement and he loads up the game. We played and I beat him pretty handily. He got pretty pissed off about this and blamed it on his joystick, claiming that he would have beaten me if he had been able to use the Advantage. So he then wants to go double or nothing. After he realized he hadn't put any money up for the first game, he quickly retrieved one of his Chicago Bulls t-shirts and offered that for a chance to even the stakes (I still don't think he realized he didn't owe me anything). So we played again, and just to be a prick I told him he could pick my team. So as the Cleveland Browns, I beat him 33-16, even though he had Bo Jackson on his team. He then told me to get the bleep out of his house even though I told him he could keep his Bulls shirt. With such fond memories of playing Tecmo Super Bowl, how could any other game hold the top spot?

NBA players make an obscene amount of money, without question.  That being said, the Boston Celtics have, during this offseason, managed to put together a team of the richest players in the history of the league.  Now that they've added the highest paid player in NBA history, Shaquille O'Neal, the value of their collective contracts has reached $1,000,000,000.  That's billion with a b, baby.  Here's how it breaks down:

1.  Shaquille O'Neal   $ 290,846,146
2.  Kevin Garnett       $ 251,315,354
3.  Ray Allen              $ 158,037,360
4.  Jermaine O'Neal    $ 153,450,640
5.  Paul Pierce            $ 123,486,218
6.  Marquis Daniels    $    31,774,931
7.  Kendrick Perkins  $    17,625,401
8.  Nate Robinson      $     9,576,499
9.  Rajon Rondo        $      5,782,882
10.  Glen Davis          $      4,138,680
11.  Von Wafer         $       2,019,941

Draft picks Avery Bradley and Luke Harangody haven't earned anythign yet, nor has european big man Semih Erdin.

I know what you're thinking and I agree:  Marquis Daniels has earned 31 damn million dollars?  Dude looks stoned literally 100 percent of the time.  And don't forget that Rasheed Wallace just got waived and will retire, taking his $150 million in career earnings off the books.

Add it all up, and what number do you get? $1,048,054,052.  Wow.

The final question is, how much do you think they have in liquid assets?  $10,000.  I guess you can always sell your Bentley's if times get hard.  By the way, that's a picture of Shaq's house.

I'd like to officially thank Boyd for crapping on college football. It was wonderful. Time to move on.

Every year I follow all the preseason hype for college football, and every year I come away wondering why some teams are so highly thought of and why some don't get enough attention. So today, I present the most overhyped teams in college football for 2010. Keep in mind that I'm not saying these teams aren't going to be good, but that they are getting too much love from the "experts" in the preseason. Here are the big five:

Florida State. Is it the coaching change that has people clamoring about the Seminoles? I've seen them ranked in the 14-25 range in most preseason polls, but I'm not really sure why they're getting the hype. Christian Ponder returns at QB - and he's very good - but they don't really have anything else that is impressive. How about this stat? They finished 90th in the nation in scoring defense. In the ACC. I've got news for you: the ACC isn't exactly a conference full of offensive juggernauts. Their defensive line blows, and the secondary is almost as bad. How do they get any preseason top 20 hype after finishing 7-6 last season? I don't see them doing much better with Oklahoma, BYU, Florida, Miami, and North Carolina on the schedule.

Miami. The Sporting News ranked Miami at #3. Seriously. There is no possible way that the Canes will finish in the top five for one major reason: schedule. The Hurricanes play Pittsburgh, the Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech. Miami is on their way back to being among college football's elite, but it will have to wait at least one more year. They have a lot of talent, but that schedule is too tough to navigate and come out with few enough losses to finish in the top 5. If Jacory Harris cuts down on his turnovers and the linebackers step up, Miami does have the talent to beat anyone on the schedule, but they'll probably finish with at least 3 losses.

Alabama. How can I have Alabama on this list? I'll tell you: they're ranked #1 by every major publication (except for Phil Steele), but they won't win the national title this year. Theire offense brings back a bunch of talent, but their defense only returns two starters. Plus, Nick Saban has never proven that he can sustain success. Maybe he can, but I'll believe it when I see it. He has shown a propensity to lose to inferior teams throughout his career (i.e., Louisiana-Monroe and UAB), he has an only decent record vs. top 25 teams, and he has a losing record in bowl games, including a fierce butt-kicking at the hands of Utah in a BCS game two years ago. Alabama has to go through Penn State, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, and Auburn, with a likely rematch against Florida in the SEC title game. And that's before their bowl game. I think Alabama is legit top 5, but I don't see them winning back-to-back titles, so I have them as overrated (to be fair, I thought they were overrated last year. Clearly I was wrong).

North Carolina. My third ACC team on the list, the Tar Heels are getting way too much attention. Their defense will be very good - likely in the top 5 - but their offense is so dreadful that the defense will be forced to win games for them. They play LSU, Miami, Florida St, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech. This is a team that lost to NC State and Virginia (who combined for a .333 winning percentage) last year. If the offense can put things together, UNC has the talent to be a top 10 team, but the offense will likely continue to suck.